In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed west from Europe and landed on a Caribbean island in what he thought was India. Over the next twelve years, Columbus made several voyages to the New World, seeking gold and power and bringing other Europeans to start colonies. How can we know what the journey was like for Columbus, his shipmates, and the Taino people he met in the Caribbean? We can study maps and tools Columbus used, excerpts from his journal, and carvings and jewelry created by the Taino. Explore primary sources from his time to learn more about his famous journey.

Introduction -- Out on a limb -- Tracking typhoon freda -- Countdown to calamity -- Death comes to Eugene -- Coastal chaos -- Ground zero -- A wind like no other -- Fallen forests -- The wind and wine -- Bridgetown under siege -- Life turns on a dime -- Lions in the wind -- It happened at the fair (buon gusto) -- Terror in Stanley Park -- Stormy aftermath -- Epilogue

Provides resources for teaching elementary and secondary school students about Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America.

"The book is an idea that has finally found its time." --Publisher's Weekly "I think your book on Christopher Columbus is important. I'm more grateful for that book than any other book I have read in a couple of years." --Kurt Vonnegut

This engaging book follows the travels of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Historical information and high-interest fact boxes are presented in an entertaining tabloid style as Columbus navigates his way to the New World. Topics include what led Columbus to become an explorer, early beliefs about the geography of the world, life on sea voyages, failed colonies, and the legacy of Columbus.

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People: A firsthand account of Christopher Columbus’s famous voyage to the East, taken directly from his journal entries Christopher Columbus had a dream—to reach the fabled lands of the East, rich with spices, jewels, silver, and especially gold. Having studied the travels of other explorers, Columbus was convinced he could reach his destination by traveling west across the seas. After convincing Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to fund his expedition, he set sail in August of 1492. In this account, the voyage Columbus undertook is told in his own voice through his journal entries of that year. He tells of excitement, drama, and terror on the high seas, as well as the doubts he faces from his own crew, as together, they weather the path to victory.

The first English edition was issued simultaneously with the American. John Jacob Astor persuaded Irving to undertake this story of his ill-fated enterprise at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1834. Irving had the use of all of Astor's notes and manuscripts, as well as the original journals of such key participants as Robert Stuart, Wilson Price Hunt, and Ramsey Crooks. The resulting work is a classic - an indispensable resource for students of the American West. It is considered to be the "classic account of the first American attempt at settlement on the Pacific coast,1811--initial action towards substantiating our claim to Oregon--including the earliest extended relation of Wilson P. Hunt's overland expedition from St. Louis to that settlement." Howes.